The Cost of Freedom
by Ms.Wolfwood
Summary: A GT fic. Will Pan be able to free her father from the evil clutches of Baby or will the cost of freedom be too much to bear?
1. Default Chapter

To All my Readers: This is the first fiction that I have written in quite a while. In my hiatus, I have been getting ideas for new fics and this is the first of my new line. Sorry to keep everyone waiting so long, but hopefully you will all like the new ideas I have conjured. Thank you all for keeping my stories alive.  
Ms. Wolfwood  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Dragonball GT characters, sorry to say!  
  
Author's Note: This story takes place during the GT saga of the tuffle, Baby. Which GT episode I have taken this idea from, I am not sure because it has been a while since I have watched the entire series. All I remember is that is from the Baby Saga.  
  
The Cost of Freedom  
  
Pan watched from a nearby cliff on the Planet Tuffle as her father and the rest of her family paid loyal homage to Baby. He had taken over the minds of every single person on earth, except for her and her grandfather. She couldn't bear to see the things that Baby was making her family do. Losing her father to Baby had been too much for her to bear. Her father was the most important thing to her and she knew she had to save him, no matter the cost. With her grandfather killed by Baby's Death Ball (at least that's what she had come to believe), she knew that it would be up to her to save her father and the rest of her beloved family alone.  
Pan was so deep in her thoughts, that she did not notice someone approaching her from behind.  
"Hello Saiyan." A voice bellowed. Pan turned around and saw her father standing behind her. He was lost in Baby's mind control.  
"This is not my father." Pan's mind told her as she looked at him. She could tell that the hold Baby had on him was strong and that it would take everything she had in order to save him.  
"Daddy, it's me Pan. Don't you remember?" she asked.  
"I have no daughter and even if I did she would be nothing like you." Gohan sneered. These words hurt Pan very much. Her father had always told her how proud he was to have such a wonderful daughter. Now being under Baby's control, it seemed that he had forgotten everything of the person he once was. Tears began to fall from Pan's eyes.  
"Did I say something to hurt your pathetic little feelings? Oh well, too bad!" Gohan exclaimed. Pan looked at her father in awe. What had Baby done to him? She had heard the story of how Vegeta was possessed by Majin Buu those many years ago and how he was still able to keep part of his former self in existence even though he was a Majin. Even though her father's mind had been taken over, he remembered nothing of the life before his "rebirth."  
"DADDY, PLEASE SNAP OUT OF IT!!!!!" Pan screamed, the tears falling more freely now. Her father simply sneered at her. She knew that there was no hope to save her father this way. Pan was faced with the harsh reality that she would have to kill her father to release him from Baby's spell. She looked to the heavens where she knew her grandpa was.  
"Oh Grandpa Goku, please forgive me. There is no other way to save daddy from Baby. I know if you were here, you would be able to think of a way to save daddy that wouldn't end his life. Please give me the strength I need to kill my daddy because without your strength in my heart, I will not be able to go through with this." Pan said quietly. She looked back at her father. His eyes began to glow a crimson red. She knew that Baby's control over his mind was increasing.  
"Daddy, please forgive me." Pan stated as she gathered up a ki ball and prepared to fire at him.


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note: Here's the second chapter of "The Cost of Freedom." Enjoy.  
  
Disclaimer: As mentioned before, I do not own any GT characters.  
  
The Cost of Freedom: Chapter 2  
  
As Pan gathered up the ki ball that she would use to kill her father, Gohan suddenly lunged at her and somehow managed to wrap one of his powerful hands around her tiny throat. She dropped the ki ball as she grabbed her father's wrist in a desperate attempt to free herself from his bone crushing grip. Gohan held Pan up in the air as he continued to squeeze the life from her. Pan continued gasping for air and for life. She knew that she would not be able to last long. Her father had become so much more powerful now that he was a slave of Baby.  
"Maybe I can still reach him before it's too late." Her mind told her.  
"Da..Daddy...please...please...you have...have to ... remember who you ...you are. Pan gasped as her world began to fall into blackness. Gohan smiled in pure pleasure as he watched the life drain from her.  
"Daddy...I...I know you are still in there somewhere. I... I can hear your heart crying...crying out to be free...free from Baby. Not all of you has been lost...lost to that monster. Oh please daddy, please remember who you are...please." Pan said in her struggle. She could feel the life draining from her.  
"Daddy...I...I...love...you..." Pan said as she took her final breath. She fell limp in her father's arms. Gohan laughed as he held Pan's dead body in his grip. Suddenly Gohan felt someone else's ki behind him. He turned around and saw Goku standing before him in Super Saiyan 4 form. His eyes burned with rage as he saw Pan hanging like a rag doll from Gohan's hand. Gohan threw Pan to the ground. Goku could still see the imprint of his son's hand on her little throat. Her neck began turning a deep purplish color as the bruises began to appear.  
"How she must have suffered." Goku thought.  
"Gohan, what have you done?!" Goku cried; his voice full of anger.  
"I got rid of one more piece of saiyan trash." Gohan answered devilishly.  
"What's wrong saiyan, ashamed that you missed out on all the fun?" Gohan asked his father. By this time Goku has stepped quickly forward and recovered his granddaughter's lifeless body. As he cradled the limp form in his arms, he suddenly felt his body surge with his new raw power. He carried Pan over to a small rock formation, and laid her down. As he kissed Pan on her ashen cheek, Goku knew that he would somehow have to detain Gohan before he could finish off Baby and save his family. He then turned and stared his son down. With one swift move, Goku stomached Gohan hard. He fell to the ground unconscious. Goku stood over Gohan.  
"I pray that when you wake, you will have the strength to deal with the fact that your baby is gone and that she was killed by your hands." Goku said. And with that he flew off to find and destroy Baby. 


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own any GT characters, just like writing about them!  
  
Author's Note: Here's the third chapter. I know that many people are anxious to find out what happens.  
  
The Cost of Freedom: Chapter 3  
  
Goku was off to find Baby. He wanted revenge for Pan because if Gohan had not been under his control, he would not have killed his granddaughter. Even though Goku was angry at the fact that Gohan had killed Pan, he really could not blame his son for his actions. He had already forgiven Gohan in his heart. He vowed to kill Baby before anyone else in his family would have to die like Pan did. Goku flew to the highest mountain on the newly created Planet Tuffle and found Baby's palace atop it. He rushed into the palace and found Baby sitting on his throne.  
"So you found me at last saiyan scum." Baby snickered.  
"Baby you monster!!! How dare you possess my son and force him to kill his own daughter. There is nothing but evil in your heart and I have come to silence it once and for all!" Goku yelled.  
"What can a monkey possibly do to stop the all powerful Baby. Remember I am in Vegeta's body, so if you destroy me, you will also be destroying Vegeta as well. Do you still want to kill me saiyan?" Baby questioned. He remembered Vegeta once saying to him that he would rather be destroyed than become someone else's puppet. With that in his mind, Goku had no regrets about killing Vegeta. He soon engaged with an all out battle against Baby. With Bulma's help, Baby was able to transform into the monkey form of a saiyan. It seemed that baby had the upper hand because in the ape form, Vegeta knew how to control himself. When all seemed lost, Goku fired a Kamehameha wave and blasted off the monkey's tail. Instantly, the ape began to lose power. Baby could feel his hold on Vegeta weakening. He escaped Vegeta's body where Goku was waiting. With a powerful ki blast, Goku silenced Baby forever. Everyone who was under Baby's mind control would be free. He knew that Gohan would soon wake to a loss that he wasn't sure his son could deal with, even though he was incredibly brave.  
"Hey Kakarrot, what are you mumbling about?" Vegeta asked weakly. Goku turned around and saw that Vegeta was alright.  
"What the heck happened? Tell me Kakarrot, right now!" Vegeta demanded. Then he remembered Baby taking control of his body and his own struggle to fight him off.  
"Kakarrot, where is that menacing little Tuffle?" Vegeta questioned.  
"He's dead." Goku simply replied. Vegeta gave a tiny laugh. Once again Goku saved the people of earth from certain danger. That was Goku for you.  
Meanwhile Gohan was coming to. As he got up, he felt the sharp pain in his stomach. Boy was it sore! He had forgotten how much one of his dad's punches hurt so much. He looked around to see where he was and out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Pan lying on the rocks. As he approached Pan, he could tell something was not right. When he finally reached her, he saw that she was very ashen, except for the deep purple imprint around her throat. Gohan's mind was reeling.  
"Pan." Gohan called. She did not respond.  
"Pan, wake up." Gohan called to her again. She continued to lie motionless. Gohan became very afraid when Pan would not respond to him. He heard noises behind him. Gohan spun around and saw Vegeta and his father standing behind him.  
"Dad, Pan won't get up. What's wrong with her?" Gohan asked his father.  
"Gohan, Pan is dead. She's gone to heaven now." Goku responded.  
"Who killed her dad?" Gohan asked trying to hold back tears.  
"You did my son. When Baby still had control of your mind, you strangled the life from her." Goku solemnly replied.  
"No dad. There was no way I could have hurt Pan like this!" Gohan exclaimed.  
"See for yourself. The imprint of the one who killed her is on her throat." Goku stated. Gohan carefully lifted Pan's head with one of his hands. He took his other hand and carefully wrapped it around Pan's neck and to Gohan's horror his hand matched the imprint perfectly. He immediately let go of her throat. The tears came to Gohan easily. He fell to his knees and let out a gut wrenching cry that echoed through the entire Tuffle planet.  
Goku and Vegeta left Gohan alone to grieve.  
"Goku." A voice called to him as they were coming out of the passage where they had left Gohan. Goku looked and saw Chi-Chi with Goten, Trunks, Bulma, and the rest of his family. He then saw Videl and he could only think of the pain she would be in when it came time to tell her about Pan.  
"Goku, we just heard the most awful cry." Chi-Chi told Goku as she approached him. "Yes, Chi-Chi I know." Goku solemnly replied as he put his arms around her. "Goku, you're trembling." Chi-Chi said as she held her husband. He looked at Videl who was looking at him with curiosity. He let go of Chi-Chi's embrace and walked over to his daughter-in-law. "Videl, I don't know how to tell you this." Goku began. "There's something wrong with Gohan. He's dead isn't he?!" Videl asked him; her voice full of panic. "Gohan is fine Videl. He's not dead." Goku reassured her. Videl's thoughts wandered as she thought for a moment. "Goku please don't tell me that something is wrong with Pan." Videl said trying to hold back tears. Goku continued to stare at Videl with a saddened look in his eyes. "Goku, where is Pan?" Videl questioned. "She's through that passage. Gohan is with her right now." Goku replied. Videl pushed by Goku and went to find Gohan and Pan. She prayed that Goku was only jesting about Pan's situation. As she approached a rock formation, she heard the distinct sounds of someone in anguish. Videl came around the corner to a tiny rock formation and saw Gohan weeping over the body of their daughter. She quietly approached both of them and she gasped at Pan's pail form and the hideous purple mark that was wrapped around her throat. Videl placed a hand on Gohan's shoulder. She was met by Gohan's tear streaked face; his eyes very much bloodshot. "Videl, she's dead! Pan is dead and it is all because of me! Videl, I killed our baby, our precious little girl is dead!" Gohan cried as he looked at her. Videl could see everything now. Everyone had been under Baby's control and Pan was coming to save them. Pan died attempting to free her family from Baby's spell. "Gohan, it's not your fault my love." Videl said to Gohan. He looked at her with the uncertainty that he found in her words. "What do you mean that I am not responsible for Pan's death? Videl, don't you see that it was I who murdered her." Gohan replied tearfully. "Gohan, you couldn't help yourself. Baby had control of your mind. You had no idea what you were doing." Videl replied as she wiped a tear from Gohan's cheek. As Gohan felt Videl's arms encircle his shoulders, he looked at Pan and realized that he was not going to let her go that easily. There had to be some way to bring her back. Only this time, Gohan had no intention of using the Dragonballs. 


	4. Chapter 4

Author's Note: Sorry this has taken me so long to get the final chapter up, but here it is. But before getting to the story's conclusion, I wanted to take some time to explain a concept that I used to complete this story. Remember when Gohan was taken to the Supreme Kai's planet to get the Z sword? I am building off of the training Gohan received on the Kai planet from the elder Kai. Hopefully this will be the ending that I am sure that everyone is hoping for.  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own any DBZ/GT characters, even though it would be totally cool!  
  
The Cost of Freedom: Chapter 4  
  
As Gohan continued to hold his beloved daughter in his arms, the rest of his family had gathered behind him. None of them could believe what Baby had made Gohan do to Pan. Gohan looked at his family and saw mixed emotions on all of their faces. He then looked toward the sky. This was the only way he could save Pan and even though he had never tried using this technique that the Old Kai had taught him. He had doubted the Old Kai at first, but as his training continued, he realized the Old Kai, while frail, was very wise and powerful. This had to work and after what he had done, Gohan felt that he owed this to Pan no matter how great the risk was. He stood with Pan still in his arms. Everyone looked at him with bewilderment in their eyes. "Gohan?" Videl asked puzzled. "Don't worry Pan is going to be fine." Gohan said smiling at her. Videl had come to know that look too well. "Gohan, you can't. Not this way." Videl stated. "Don't worry, I will be fine. Nothing is going to happen to me, I promise." Gohan said as he kissed her on her cheek. With Pan in his arms he walked to the clearing, away from the rock formations. He looked once more to the sky. "Please let this work Old Kai." Gohan prayed. He had only practiced transforming his Super Saiyan energy into life energy once. He wasn't sure if he could do it again, especially now that it mattered. However, something in his heart was telling him that he could do it. He looked down at Pan.  
"Don't worry sweetheart. You'll be home soon." Gohan said as he kissed her on the forehead. He drew Pan closer to him as he became a Super Saiyan. He then closed his eyes as he concentrated on converting his energy. The bright yellow glow that had surrounded his body soon turned a radiant blue. It was working. Gohan began feeling weak, but he didn't take time to notice. As Gohan continued to flood Pan with his newly created life energy, Videl and the rest of the family came out from behind the rocks and saw Gohan surrounded by this blue light. Goku and Vegeta knew that it was life energy, but both were unsure as to how Gohan created so much of it.  
"GOHAN!!!" Videl cried as she went to go over to him. Goku held her back.  
"Videl, Gohan is going to be fine. You'll have to trust him. I think he knows what he is doing." Goku said as a smile formed on his lips. Videl looked at him. She looked at Goku and remembered he said something just like that when Gohan's energy was stolen at the World Martial Arts Tournament. She had to believe that everything would be alright. As Videl looked back at Gohan, she noticed that that the intense blue light that had been surrounding Gohan began to fade. As Gohan powered down, he could feel Pan stir in his arms. He was so tired, but it didn't matter since Pan was alive. The technique had worked just like the Old Kai promised him it would if ever he had to use it.  
"See, daddy told you everything would be alright." Gohan said as he felt his knees buckle from under him. He heard his name being called from behind as he fell into blackness with Pan still in his arms.  
"Gohan please wake up." A voice called to him. As he came out of the blackness, he saw a very concerned Videl leaning over him. Gohan realized that Pan was no longer in his arms, but instead he was lying in Videl's lap. He looked up at her and gave a weak smile.  
"Is Pan ok?" Gohan tiredly asked.  
"Dad, I'm fine thanks to you." Pan said as he approached her mother's side. Gohan sat up and looked into his daughter's eyes.  
"Oh Pan, I'm..." Gohan started.  
"Dad, I forgive you. There is no need to apologize." Pan said. Gohan grabbed Pan and he held her in his arms; something that he never thought he would be able to do again. As Pan returned his embrace, he silently thanked the Old Kai for guiding him to victory and the safe return of the most important thing in his life, his only child. 


End file.
